A plasma display window?-The shifting baseline problem in a technologically mediated natural world

Humans will continue to adapt to an increasingly technological world. But are there costs to such adaptations in terms of human well being? Toward broaching this question, we investigated physiological effects of experiencing a HDTV quality real-time view of nature through a plasma display “window.” In an office setting, 90 participants (30 per group) were exposed either to (a) a glass window that afforded a view of a nature scene, (b) a plasma window that afforded a real-time HDTV view of essentially the same scene, or (c) a blank wall. Results showed that in terms of heart rate recovery from low-level stress the glass window was more restorative than a blank wall; in turn, a plasma window was no more restorative than a blank wall. Moreover, when participants spent more time looking at the glass window, their heart rate tended to decrease more rapidly; that was not the case with the plasma window. Discussion focuses on how the purported benefits of viewing nature may be attenuated by a digital medium.     

Building resilience to climate risks through social protection: from individualised models to systemic transformation

This article analyses the role of social protection programmes in contributing to people's resilience to climate risks. Drawing from desk‐based and empirical studies in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, it finds that social transfers make a strong contribution to the capacity of individuals and households to absorb the negative impacts of climate‐related shocks and stresses. They do so through the provision of reliable, national social safety net systems—even when these are not specifically designed to address climate risks. Social protection can also increase the anticipatory capacity of national disaster response systems through scalability mechanisms, or pre‐emptively through linkages to early action and early warning mechanisms. Critical knowledge gaps remain in terms of programmes’ contributions to the adaptive capacity required for long‐term resilience. The findings offer insights beyond social protection on the importance of robust, national administrative systems as a key foundation to support people's resilience to climate risks.     

Flux by fin: fish-mediated carbon and nutrient flux in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico

Seagrass meadows are among the most productive ecosystems in the marine environment. It has been speculated that much of this production is exported to adjacent ecosystems via the movements of organisms. Our study utilized stable isotopes to track seagrass-derived production into offshore food webs in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. We found that gag grouper (Myctereoperca microlepis) on reefs as far as 90 km from the seagrass beds incorporate a significant portion of seagrass-derived biomass. The muscle tissue of gag grouper, a major fisheries species, was composed on average of 18.5–25% seagrass habitat-derived biomass. The timing of this annual seagrass subsidy appears to be important in fueling gag grouper egg production. The δ³⁴S values of gag grouper gonad tissues varied seasonally and were δ³⁴S depleted during the spawning season indicating that gag utilize the seagrass-derived biomass to support reproduction. If such large scale trophic subsidies are typical of temperate seagrass systems, then loss of seagrass production or habitat would result in a direct loss of offshore fisheries productivity.     

Diversity, host affinity, and distribution of seed-infecting fungi: a case study with Cecropia

Recruitment limitation has been proposed as an important mechanism contributing to the maintenance of tropical tree diversity. For pioneer species, infection by fungi significantly reduces seed survival in soil, potentially influencing both recruitment success and adult distributions. We examined fresh seeds of four sympatric Cecropia species for evidence of fungal infection, buried seeds for five months in common gardens below four C. insignis crowns in central Panama, and measured seed survival and fungal infection of inviable seeds. Seed survival varied significantly among species and burial sites, and with regard to local (Panama) vs. foreign (Costa Rica) maternal seed sources. Fresh seeds contained few cultivable fungi, but > 80% of soil-incubated seeds were infected by diverse Ascomycota, including putative pathogens, saprophytes, and endophytes. From 220 isolates sequenced for the nuclear internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), 26 of 73 unique genotypes were encountered more than once. Based on the most common genotypes, fungal communities demonstrate host affinity and are structured at the scale of individual crowns. Similarity among fungal communities beneath a given crown was significantly greater than similarity among isolates found under different crowns. However, the frequency of rare species suggests high fungal diversity and fine-scale spatial heterogeneity. These results reveal complex plant-fungal interactions in soil and provide a first indication of how seed survival in tropical forests may be affected by fungal community composition.     

Spike dives of juvenile southern bluefin tuna (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Thunnus maccoyii</Emphasis>): a navigational role?

Tunas make sharp descents and ascents around dawn and dusk called spike dives. We examine spike dives of 21 southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) implanted with archival tags in the Great Australian Bight. Using a new way to categorize this behavior, we show that spike dives are similar among all the fish in the study. The dive profiles are mirror images at dawn and dusk and are precisely timed with respect to sunrise and sunset. We analyze the possible reasons for spike dives, considering the timing of spike dives, the characteristic dive profile, and the tuna's magnetic habitat. In addition, we present anatomical evidence for elaboration of the pineal organ, which is light mediated and has been implicated in navigation in other vertebrates. The new evidence presented here leads us to suspect that spike dives represent a survey related to navigation.